Matcha Latte

I have the great cosmic fortune of being a Morning Person. I can be really smug about it, too. Maybe it’s the going on five years of 8-to-5-ing that has trained me to be an early riser, I don’t know. But I really do find morningtime beautiful, for all the same reasons that smug Morning People eagerly regurgitate- the soft, gentle light. The quiet stillness. The feeling of being the only one awake (translation: feeling inherently better than those weak sleepers. Chortle! Scoff!). But leaving desperate transcendental sentiment out of it, I am as productive as I ever am in the morning.

I like to make a hot matcha latte in the morning. It is a tasty, fun green way of achieving gentle caffeination, further, it is also a luxurious treat. It is one way that I can be kind to myself each day. I take self care very seriously.

Matcha differs from regular green tea, in which the leaves are steeped and then discarded. Matcha is ground tea leaves in the form of a very fine powder. It is dissolved in hot water, so you’re drinking the whole leaf. Loads of people celebrate matcha for a vast array of health benefits, some more substantiated than others. You can google this, but it’s irrelevant to me- I just like it.

When water has reached tea temperature (hot, but not boiling), pour about 1 T. over the matcha and sugar. Use a fork or mini hand frother to blend to a loose paste. Set aside.

*Heat milk in a pan over medium high heat. When milk starts bubbling, remove from heat and pour into a frothing jug or large mason jar.

Froth the milk either with a hand frother or by shaking in the jar (lid on) until slightly fluffy. You'll have hot milk on the bottom, and frothed milk on top. Pour milk over the matcha while using a spoon to hold back the froth until about 2/3 of the mug is full. Spoon the froth over the top.

Notes

*If you're lucky enough to have an espresso maker at home, by all means, steam the milk as you would for a cafe latte or cappuccino.